10 YEARS AGO
“Gadsden County should be proud of this,” stated East Gadsden High School principal Chalmus Thomas. “This is a great facility. I can’t wait for it to open.” Thomas had reason to be excited about his new school that was combining both Shanks and Havana Northside into a class 3A high school beginning in 2004. “It is really something special,” said Thomas.

Despite arguments from the Democratic Executive Committee (DEC) and two county commissioners that the county could do the job in-house, the county commission as a board voted to hire a consultant and to form a committee to redraw district lines to meet mandates brought about by the 2000 census. DEC chairman Joe Parramore, flanked by DEC members Willie Neal and Sam Palmer, argued that a committee alone could do the job of reshuffling voter numbers to an even number in each district.

20 YEARS AGO
The skeletal remains found near a Quincy cemetery were positively identified as Timothy Donald Sadberry, a 19-year-old Quincy teenager who was reported missing in 1986, sheriff’s investigator Tommy Haire reported. The remains were found in a ravine by a geologist doing work at an old gas station site near the Eastern Cemetery on East Jefferson Street. Sadberry had been reported missing after his car was found at the old Thomas Motor Cars site about three blocks from the cemetery.

Nine judges signed an administrative order that would move some Gadsden circuit court cases to Leon and Liberty counties, plus keep the county commissioners from using the courtroom for public meetings unless prior approval was granted from the Court Administrator in Tallahassee. The order was brought about because judges, since 1974, had been trying to get the county to address an overcrowding problem at the courthouse.

30 YEARS AGO
It’s called friends helping friends and it proved that when a family was in need a community could rise to the occasion and come to their aid. In Concord there was a house raising for the Mark Hunt family. The Hunts’ mobile home was lost in a tragic fire that shook the community and caused much concern among residents. Rev. Larry Demakowski and the Brotherhood and RAs of Concordia Baptist Church, decided to put that concern to physical work and initiated the house raising.

Sam Cunningham of Chattahoochee entered four roses in the Thomasville Rose Show and came home with two trophies; one for winning a spot in the Court of Honor and the other for Best Rose in an entire section of entries. Mrs. Dan Miller of Havana won the Best Open Bloom. Cunningham stated that due to the extremely cool weather most of the roses of area growers were not open at the time of the show.

40 YEARS AGO
Commissioner Lamar Massey of Chattahoochee told the county commission that residents of his town and employees at Florida State Hospital were very upset over the transfer of 38 criminally insane patients from the Hollywood, FL hospital. Chairman Ben Duncan said he planned to discuss the matter with Governor Reuben Askew after he knew all the facts. The board chairman indicated he wanted to be thoroughly prepared to discuss the matter before he approached the Governor for help.

Sergeant First Class (retired) Glenn Marks received his certificate of appreciation and title of honorary recruiter in recognition of continuing interest in creating a better understanding of the career opportunities in the U.S. Army. SFC Marks, who had recently retired after 30 years of active duty, was awarded the certificate of appreciation by Lt. Col. James. R. Dismukes.

50 YEARS AGO
After 20 years of serving the community with dry goods and groceries at the corner of 7th and Main Street in Havana, Morgan Bros. store closed its doors. Owned by George and Clarence Morgan, brothers, the store offered popular merchandise and food stuffs which supplied hundreds of citizens in Havana and the surrounding area. Both brothers were retiring from business.

Coggins and McDermont, road builder of Chipley, submitted the apparent low bid for the four-laning of U.S. 27 between Havana and the Leon County line. The firm bid $536,774 on the project. This bid was among some $35 million in bids opened by the State Road Department in Lakeland, the largest bid opening in the history of the 48-year-old department.

60 YEARS AGO
The Havana Rappers, behind the two-hit pitching of Bobby Rowan and a two-run homer by Julian Thompson, defeated Lester Motors of Quincy 2-0. The game was the second win over Quincy in two outings for the Rappers. Rowan, in serving up his two-hitter, struck out eight of the motormen while giving up only one walk. Alex McMillan, the Quincy pitcher, also had a fine game in holding the Rappers to four hits.

A large crowd of over 150 farmers and other men of the Gadsden County area attended the agriculture field day held at the North Florida Experiment Station in Quincy. Dr. W.C. Rhoades, Entomologist in charge of the North Florida Experiment Station, and staff members of the station conducted tours of the experiment station farm and explained the research work being carried on in the experimental plots.